An important part of our process as storytellers and wedding photographers is to get to know our clients. Getting a sense of who they are, who their most important people are, what excites them... knowing all this helps us to be better wedding photographers, but a pretty great side effect of this process is that we end up with new friends!

This time, however, Melissa and Adam were already our friends. In fact, we've known Adam almost a decade. He is a wedding photographer himself, and over the years he has become one of our closest friends, even photographing weddings with us a few times. We've become the type of friends who can be there for each other in the heat of a problem, who can share a tiny apartment in Mexico or a bed at a transit hotel in India (well, Daniel at least). Friends who can be honest and vulnerable enough with each other to share the less than perfect moments and the flat out really difficult moments. We don't have many friends like that, but Adam is one of them.

Adam also has a very specific sense of humour, one that I feel I have learned to understand, and appreciate over the years. In fact when we first heard about Melissa we thought the most important question was, "but does she "get" Adam and his sense of humour?".

We met Melissa in the most intimate of ways: when she and Adam came to stay with us and our 2 very young kids in the dead of winter, at our home in the middle of nowhere. It was like a meet-and-greet bootcamp. I thought she must really love Adam to fly all the way from Texas to Canada, in the middle of winter, just to meet his friends. We quickly learned that she is smart (like, super smart), has travelled a bunch, and most importantly she totally "gets" Adam. We felt so comfortable around her, we even let our guard down and had a disagreement in front of them (oops).

Several months later Adam proposed in Marfa, Texas, the quirky Southwestern town where they took their first trip, and they agreed that they wanted to share this special place with their friends and families and host their wedding there as well. They got ready at El Cosmico, where Adam proposed, met up with their guests at a random intersection, and then caravanned to a pre-scouted spot on the side of the road about 30 minutes outside of town. We were met with a killer view, timed with an even more killer sunset for the ceremony. It felt magical, to be surprised with this stunning location and magical light. Ten years of photographing weddings and we agreed, this was the most beautiful ceremony site we'd ever witnessed (and it was totally free, decor courtesy of Mother Nature).

Melissa and Adam got it so right; they picked a place that was meaningful to them, invited their closest friends and family, took them to the art galleries and installations that they themselves have appreciated on previous visits, exchanged vows that made everyone laugh and cry with the setting sun's golden light painting the mountain range behind them (shoutout to our friend Micah who beautifully officiated), and treated them to a delicious dinner. It was simple, it was majestic, and it was perfect.

Our son Max came along with us, and his highlights were running through Dan Flavin's neon art installations, the cake table which he monopolized, and especially the day-after session location: White Sands, New Mexico. We had dreamed about photographing portraits there for several years, and Melissa and Adam agreed to drive 3 hours so we could play in the sand. It was truly incredible.

Melissa, Adam, we love you guys. We are so grateful for your friendship, and so darn happy that you have found each other. We look forward to seeing what kind of shenanigans our kids will get into together!

They say rain on your wedding day is good luck (and Alanis Morisette also calls it ironic), but no one gets married in Hawaii and hopes for rain! The weather was beautiful throughout Julie and Alan's entire wedding weekend on Maui, with the exception of one very specific window of time: the hour before and the hour after (give or take) their outdoor ceremony. It elicited some of the same stages as grief: denial ("it won't actually rain," or "it's just a passing cloud"), bargaining ("if it can just hold up until the cocktail hour, we'll do that inside if we can have the ceremony outside"), depression ("why did it have to rain right now?!") to acceptance ("it's fine, we'll just have the ceremony inside, as long as we get married, that's all that matters").

As all of this unfolded, so did a completely unexpected storyline to the wedding day. There were special moments that resulted from this disappointing twist, like the dance party Julie's bridal party and parents threw for her to distract her as they postponed the ceremony in hopes that the rain would let up. Or the storm watch team that Alan assembled to keep a minute-by-minute watch on the clouds. Tense situations can sometimes bring out the worst in people, but not these guys. The way Julie and Alan communicated throughout the uncertainty, the way everyone did their part to support them, make them laugh, dance it off, hold Julie's hand when she was feeling disappointed... it was beautiful.

Like any good story, the tension, the suspense, the anxious anticipation of the unknown only made the resolution that much sweeter. As Julie and Alan finally exchanged vows and leis on the lawn overlooking the ocean, an hour and a half later than planned, on a ceremony site which came so close to being unused, it was clear that everyone was savouring every moment that much more. That energy transferred into the reception as well, as friends and family shared stories about the couple and let it all out on the dance floor via glow sticks and epic dance offs.

As uninvited as the rain might have been, it certainly made Julie and Alan's wedding memorable. It is now part of their story; every twist and turn. We are so glad Julie and Alan allowed us to be their storytellers, it was thrilling!

It seems that we were destined to photograph Lianne and Chris’ wedding. Lianne claims that she knew we would be her wedding photographers before she even started dating Chris, and Chris admits that we were the non-negotiable part of the wedding planning process - music to our ears, obviously! As flattering as this is, the truth is that we also feel like we were meant to be there, as corny as that sounds.

When I think of Lianne, there is one word that comes to mind: kind. It is easy to see why Chris was drawn to her. She is the type of bride who wanted to make sure that everyone had everything they needed on her wedding day, and who casually went with the flow of the day while placing her total trust in the team she had chosen.

Chris was a little hard to read upon our first meeting, but we learned that we was a military man, who had served in Afghanistan. Despite being more reserved, the way he looked at Lianne gave me the hunch that he was actually a big softie. When we left our first meeting with them, I told Daniel that I “called tears” which is code for when we think someone will cry on the wedding day.

The morning of the wedding, I accidentally showed up at Chris’ house. Daniel and I had swapped addresses and while I intended to go to the girls, it seems I was destined to be with the boys this time. There is that word again: destiny. Chris was feeling all the feels, that much was obvious. He was in the moment, feeling so overwhelmed with his blessings. It was beautiful to see.

When he laid eyes on Lianne as she walked down the aisle, the tears I had “called” earlier finally manifested themselves. They kept going from there on, and peaked at the reception when one beautiful testimony after another was shared by their friends and family. Chris shared his own story of destiny, when he survived an attack in Afghanistan that made him truly grateful for everything, especially Lianne. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

“La hora loca” or crazy hour - a Latin American tradition where props are brought out onto the dance floor - kicked off the party and gave everyone a welcome release after all that emotion! And go loca they did!

At the end of the night, the only word that came to mind was "destiny." All of it just felt so meant to be. And I feel so lucky to have been a part of it.

Ah, Daisy and JinUk. What can I say about the couple I dubbed our client soul-mates? We didn't know what to expect when Daisy sent us dozens of emails as she narrowed down her search for her perfect wedding photographer. She was choosy, that much was obvious. After passing her test and answering her hundreds of questions (ok, maybe not hundreds, but you get the idea) to her satisfaction, I'll admit that it was particularly satisfying to have them choose us! When we finally met in person for their engagement shoot in Malibu a few months before their wedding, we bonded immediately over Ramen and Korean skincare (ok, the skincare was just JinUk and I - snail cream FTW!). The chemistry between Daisy and JinUk was evident; JinUk sparks that infectious laugh of hers which makes her physically double over until she is laughing with her whole body. And Daisy's sweet and friendly personality makes it impossible not to love her.

Their wedding at DeLoach vineyard in Santa Rosa, California was a reflection of all the things that they hold dear: close friends and family, great food enjoyed Al Fresco, laughter, dancing, and of course, Ramen. JinUk was the host with the most, constantly checking in with his guests to make sure everyone was enjoying the meal.

The next day Daisy and JinUk met up with us at Lands End in San Francisco, the city they call home, for some portraits. Jinuk was a good sport when I teased him about his hesitation to "trespass" by even a foot, even when his own mother-in-law lovingly mocked him for it! He even seemed to appreciate my uncanny impression of his dance moves; I think it helped that they made Daisy laugh that magical laugh of hers. They walked and laughed and climbed and even hopped over a rope or two for our photos and we felt so spoiled to have the opportunity to collaborate on this portrait session with such an incredible couple.

It was actually a little heartbreaking to say goodbye to them, we just had such a blast the whole time. It was a thrill to pass Daisy's test, to be there for her and JinUk as they celebrated their union, but really we just feel so lucky to have made 2 new friends!

There is one thing I learned very quickly about Sehaj and Chris, and it also happens to be my favourite thing about them: they are unapologetically and comfortably themselves. Their authenticity shone from the second we met them, a year prior in New York city. Sehaj had my heart the moment she told me she didn't want to look perfect in her wedding photos - she wanted to look like herself. I anxiously awaited their big day since our meeting, knowing that it was going to be particularly special... and it was!
Fast-forward to the Sangeet on first night of their wedding weekend in Oahu, Sehaj confirmed my impression by publicly revealing to Chris the number one reason she loves him: he makes her love herself for who she is. Chris, in his own quiet way showed his love and devotion for Sehaj over an entire year to grow an epic beard in time for their wedding to honour her Sikh roots. His dedication to honouring her culture went even further, as we learned at the wedding reception, but we'll get to that later!

With a day off between the Sangeet and the actual wedding day, Sehaj and Chris requested a "day-prior" portrait session in casual outfits instead of our usual day-after session in formal wedding getup, allowing them to have photographs of themselves in clothing that holds personal significance. Their casual attire complimented our laid-back approach to their portrait session, taking them on a tour of the most scenic spots surrounding Turtle Bay Resort as they simply explored the ocean-front lava fields, laid on the beach, and took in the breathtaking sunset. The best compliment came from Chris who said he was kind of dreading the idea of posing for photos but actually really enjoyed himself (success!).

By the time the wedding day rolled around the anticipation had built up and we were all excited to jump in and witness these two officially tie the knot. Sehaj and Chris planned a Sikh wedding but with their own personal twists. For instance, Sehaj participated in the Barat, which is traditionally reserved for the groom only, because she didn't want to miss out on the horseback ride or the dancing. Their Seik ceremony was officiated by Sehaj's father, a guru, and was followed immediately by a Christian ceremony officiated by Chris' sister, a minister. It was a beautiful way to pay homage to both of their backgrounds.

Chris, embraced the Sikh traditions every step of the way, donning not one but two traditional outfits (and pulling off a turban like a pro!). But perhaps the greatest show of dedication was an actual show... unbeknownst to anyone, he had been taking secret Bhangra dance classes for months just so he could pull off an epic surprise! If Chris looks like he's enjoying himself during the shoe negotiations (the tradition where the groom's shoes are held ransom by the bride's side), it's because he cleverly used this secret as bargaining leverage! And the dance most certainly did not disappoint - Chris gave it his all and his bride (and the entire crowd) loved it!

A huge thank-you to Sunny Mathur who travelled all the way from DC to lend us a hand an eye (some of these images are his). And of course, a huge thank-you to Sehaj and Chris for choosing us and trusting our vision to capture this really special celebration.